CN101291810A - Device for producing a plate-shaped element from a composite material - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for manufacturing a plate-shaped element from composite material, the device (1) comprising: the heating plate (5), a conveyor (6) for conveying the components (4) along a conveyor path guided above the heating plate (5), an upper part (8) movable perpendicular to the heating plate (5), a film (9) arranged on the upper part (8), and a separating film (10) arranged between the film (9) and the heating plate (5) and movable synchronously with the conveyor (6). The separating film (10) is divided into sections (11) and each section (11) is fastened by fastening means (32) only at a single edge oriented transversely to the conveyor path. The segments (11) are thus placed loosely and without tension on the element (4). The film (9) rests against a peripheral edge face (46) of the upper part (8) facing the heating plate (5) and can be placed directly on the plane of the surface of the heating plate (5) in order to form a closed chamber therewith. Finally, the membrane (9) is connected to a tensioning device (25, 26, 27).

Description

Equipment for the manufacture of plate-like elements from composite materials

technical field

The invention relates to a plant for the manufacture of plate-shaped elements from composite material, comprising: a heating plate, a conveying device for transporting the element along a transport path guided above the heating plate, a device movable perpendicular to the heating plate The upper part, the film arranged on the upper part and the isolation film arranged between the film and the heating plate and can move synchronously with the conveying device.

Background technique

When producing plate-shaped components, such as photovoltaic components, from composite materials, the layers and the glass underlying the layers are bonded together by pressing and heating. The machines used for this process usually include heatable laminating stations, cooling stations and conveyors for intermittently conveying components. Wherein the laminating station has a heating plate and, in the upper part which can be sunk onto the heating plate, there is a film which forms a closed chamber with the heating plate in the sunken state. The element is degassed by evacuating the chamber and the membrane presses against the heating plate and the element by the pressure on its side facing away from the chamber and presses the element together.

As a conveying device for the components, known devices have a conveyor belt which at the same time protects the heating plate from contamination, for example, by glue flowing out of the components. In order to also protect the vacuum membrane, it is known to cover the component on its upper surface with an insulating film. Not only the conveyor belt but also the release film can be designed as a continuous web. The disadvantage here is that control devices must be provided to ensure that the webs do not go sideways off the continuous web transport or deflection rollers. To avoid this disadvantage, it is known to use segments instead of continuous webs, which are conveyed by means of traction elements, such as chains, arranged alongside the moving track. Here, the individual segments are connected to each other by elastic elements to form a continuous loop. The segments are subjected to tensile stress in the conveying direction via the elastic element, so that, for the segment lying above the separating film, lifting of the element results as soon as the pressing force is removed. At the same time, an upward force is exerted on the component by the glue that has been extruded between the release film and the component, which is especially harmful in the lamination station, because there between the individual layers of the component The glue between them has not yet cured.

In many known devices, the membrane is clamped in a frame which is itself sealed against the heating plate or its edge by means of a circumferential seal when the press is closed. A disadvantage here, apart from the need for an expensive production of the frame and the seal, is the fact that during the pressing process the membrane is subjected to enormous tensile forces in the region of the frame. Film tearing during pressing can lead to damage to the elements to be laminated. The membrane is exposed to large temperature changes during operation, as a result of which it expands and re-contracts with each operating cycle. If the film is held too loosely within the frame, it tends to wrinkle and must be retensioned. The retensioning process here is very cumbersome, since the frame has to be disassembled and re-screwed after tensioning.

Contents of the invention

The object of the invention is to propose a lamination plant which does not have the disadvantages mentioned.

According to the invention, the measures taken for this purpose are that the separating film is divided into segments; each segment is fixed only on a single edge oriented transversely to the transport path by fixing means; the segments are not connected to each other; and, The holding device can be moved along the transport path by means of a drive.

The advantage of this solution is that the release film is well adapted to the shape of the components to be laminated, since it rests loosely on the components, and that the release film is not stretched and thus not applied to the components by the release film when the press is opened. any force. Furthermore, the use of the invention eliminates the component and processing costs present in known devices for the interconnection of the separator film segments.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the drive device has an endless traction element, in particular a chain. These traction elements can be guided alongside the heating plate and can be easily synchronized with the conveyor.

Another embodiment provides that the segments are guided in a loop via deflectors, and in an area in which the segments are guided substantially vertically downwards, the guides designed as brushes are equipped with The bristles are oriented on at least one of the two surfaces of the segment. Without this guide, the segment of the separating film, which is held behind only at its front end by means of the fastening device as viewed in the conveying direction, would fall downwards in the above-mentioned region and prevent the introduction of the components into the device.

According to a further embodiment, the fastening device has a C-shaped profile, into which a closed ring of segments protrudes into its longitudinal opening, in which an anchor rod is inserted, the diameter of which is greater than the width of the opening . Such a fastening device is particularly simple and economical to manufacture and, in addition, ensures a wrinkle-free fastening of the parts of the insulating film.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the object is achieved by the following measures: the membrane rests on the upper peripheral edge facing the heating plate, the membrane can overcome external overpressure with its surface area facing the edge tightly placed on the surface of the heating plate or its edge, and the membrane is connected with tensioning means provided on the upper part.

The main advantage of this solution is that the film itself is sealed to the heating plate without a frame and without additional seals and forms a closed cavity with the heating plate without a separator film and possibly a transport device as an intermediate layer. As a result, less tensile forces act on the film during pressing, since the region in which the film is clamped is in the plane of the heating plate and not above the heating plate as in the prior art. The maximum tensile force in the film is therefore only produced when the press is opened, so that a possible rupture of the film cannot lead to damage to the laminated element. In addition, the predetermined tension in the film can be adjusted and maintained by the tensioning device, so as to avoid excessive stress and wrinkling in the film.

According to one embodiment, the tensioning device is connected to the membrane by means of a clamping device. These clamping devices allow the film to be held and tensioned without the need to machine holes in its edges, which are known to tend to cause tearing.

According to another embodiment, each clamping device consists of two clamping plates that can be clamped to each other by screws, the clamping plates have grooves arranged in the longitudinal direction and clamp the membrane between them, wherein at least one groove engages a Profile to turn the membrane. With these economical measures, a particularly secure fastening can be achieved without the membrane being overstressed, for example by severe compression.

Another embodiment provides that the tensioning device includes at least one force-generating device. Unlike force-storing devices such as springs, force-generating devices such as servo motors can always maintain the same tension in the membrane even when the length of the membrane varies greatly.

According to another embodiment, the force-generating device is a piston-cylinder unit. Such a unit saves space and can be operated particularly easily.

Finally, another embodiment provides that the force-generating device is connected to the membrane via traction elements. This measure allows the force-generating means to be positioned on the device according to the actually existing positional conditions.

Description of drawings

The invention will be described in greater detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing.

in:

Figure 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of the device according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial enlarged view compared with Fig. 1 in Fig. 1;

Figure 3 and the part corresponding to Figure 2 are in another working state;

A kind of implementation form of Fig. 4 isolation film fixing device;

An embodiment of the film tensioning device of Fig. 5; and

FIG. 6 Detail of a device according to the prior art.

Detailed ways

First of all, it is provided that in different embodiments, identical parts are provided with the same reference signs or the same component symbols, wherein the disclosure content contained in the entire description can be assigned to the same parts with the same reference symbols or the same component symbols. part. The position expressions selected in this description, such as above, below, side, etc., refer to the directly illustrated and described figures, and can be transferred to the new position in a sense when the position is changed.

These examples represent some possible embodiments of the device, and it should be pointed out here that the invention is not limited to the inventive embodiments described specifically, but rather various combinations of the various embodiments are also possible, And, based on the teaching of technical means, through specific inventions, this possibility of change is within the ability of those of ordinary skill in the art. This means that all conceivable embodiments which can be obtained by combining various details of the illustrated and described embodiments are included within the scope of protection.

Finally, for the sake of specification, it should also be pointed out that in order to better understand the structure of the device, the device or its components are not shown to scale and/or enlarged and/or reduced in parts.

FIG. 1 shows a greatly simplified schematic illustration of an embodiment of a device 1 according to the invention, cut through the longitudinal axis. Of course, the equipment is mounted in a rack, but the rack is not shown for clarity of view. The plate-shaped elements 4, for example photovoltaic elements, are conveyed within the plant by means of a conveyor 6 into the lamination station 2, where the elements 4 are laminated by applying pressure and heat. The element 4 is then conveyed by the conveying device 6 in the direction of the arrow 31 into the cooling station 3, where it remains under pressurized conditions for a certain period of time. The laminating station 2 essentially consists of a heating plate 5 and an upper part 8 movable perpendicular to it. Numeral 12 designates a lifting drive by means of which the upper part 8 can be lowered and raised relative to the heating plate 5 . The upper part 8 has a membrane 9 on its underside, the sunken membrane 9 in the upper part 8 together with the heating plate 5 forms a closed chamber which can be evacuated. When the cavity is evacuated, the elements 4 to be laminated are pressed against the heating plate 5 by the film 9, removing any air inclusions that may still exist between the layers of the elements 4, and the adhesive that is present between the layers of the elements 4 by adding pressure and/or heat activation. A chamber 16 is formed in the upper part 8 between the membrane 9 and the partition 14, to which underpressure or overpressure can be applied as required in order to lift or push the membrane 9 downward. A cavity 13 present in the upper part communicates with a chamber 16 through holes 15 provided in the partition 14 .

The cooling station 3 essentially consists of a cooling plate 21 and an upper part 28 movable towards it by means of a lift drive 22 , which likewise has a membrane 29 like the upper part 8 of the lamination station 2 .

In the present example, the conveying device 6 is formed by a flat, rectangular section 7 of flexible material, which is fastened both at the front edge in the conveying direction 31 and at the rear edge in the conveying direction by the fastening device 23 . The fixing means 23 of two adjacent sections 7 of the conveying device 6 are connected to each other by means of springs 24, so that the conveying device 6 forms a continuous loop guided by deflection rollers 18, the return section of the loop passing under the cooling plate 21 and the heating plate 5 extend.

On the inlet side 30 of the device 1, the separating film 10 is placed loosely on each element 4 or a group of elements 4, on the one hand the protective film 9 is prevented from being contaminated, for example by glue flowing out of the elements 4, and on the other hand, especially in the The opening of the lamination station 2 produces any forces that could cause relative movement between the individual layers of the element 4 . Each segment of the insulating film 10 is fastened at its leading edge in the conveying direction 31 , which is oriented at right angles to the conveying direction, by means of fastening means 32 which are designed as profiles in the present embodiment, which are arranged on both sides of the conveying path. Driven by a traction element, such as a chain conveyor not shown in the figure, it moves along the transport path. The fastening device 32 will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 4 . The remaining edges of the segments 11 of the release film 10 are free, so that each segment rests loosely on the element 4 as it is conveyed through the device 1 . This situation is particularly advantageous for the exit section from the lamination station 2 to the cooling station 3, because there the element 4 is still hot, so the glue connecting the layers has not yet cured and is therefore viscous and tends to in flow. If, as in the prior art devices described in the introduction, the separating film is pressed against this run-off section, undesired relative movements between the layers can result. Furthermore, the construction described here has the obvious advantage over the mentioned prior art that fastening means are omitted for each segment of the insulating film 10 on one side and springs connecting the segments are completely dispensed with. The tractor drive that moves the fastening device 32 circulates and guides the segment 11 of the insulating film 10 via the deflection roller 17, which is redirected to the device 1 above the upper part 28 or 8 of the cooling station 3 and lamination station 2 in FIG. 1 The inlet side 30 on the left is fed back. Guide means (not shown) may be provided above the device, through which the free end 19 of each segment of the insulating film 10 is drawn. In order to prevent the segment 11 from falling over in the region of its substantially vertical return toward the inlet side 30 , a guide in the form of an elongated brush 20 oriented in the conveying direction 31 is provided there. It is not suitable to provide rigid guides on both surfaces of the separating film 10, since they must have a distance from each other which allows the fastening means 32 to pass between them. Depending on the stiffness of the insulating film 10, it may be folded back and forth within the distance between the guides and thus bent in an undesired manner. And the brushes on both sides of the isolation film 10 can reach its surface all the time, because the bristles of the brushes can be flexed and avoided, so that the fixing device 32 can pass through smoothly.

In the exit section, the conveying device 6 and the insulating film 10 are returned to the inlet side 30 of the device 1 after leaving the cooling station 3, and a cleaning device, not shown, can be arranged on this leaving section, by means of which the conveying device 6 and the The release film 10 removes dirt such as adhesive residues. It can be clearly seen from FIG. 1 that the conveying device 6 and the separating film 10 must not be equal in length. For example, the separating film 10 can of course have one or more segments than the conveying device 6 .

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged partial view of the lamination station 2 of FIG. 1 in the open position, that is to say with the upper part 8 raised. The laminated element 4 is to be positioned on the heating plate 5 with the segment 7 of the conveyor device as an intermediate layer and covered with the segment 11 of the insulating film. It can be seen from this figure that the fixing means 32 of the segment 11, the fixing means 23 of the segment 7 and the spring 24 interconnecting the segments 23 are positioned so that they are not clamped by the upper part 8 when it is descending. Furthermore, the fastening means 32 of the segment 11 and the fastening means 23 of the segment 7 are offset relative to one another in the conveying direction, so that they do not rest against each other. The membrane 9 is guided around the edge 46 of the upper part 8 , and a seal 34 can be inserted between the membrane 9 and the upper part 8 here. The edge of the film 9 is clamped by means of a clamping device 33 which cooperates with the tensioning drive 25 . The tensioning drive 25 is advantageously designed as a hydraulically or pneumatically working piston-cylinder unit. For reasons of space, it is advantageous if the tensioning drive 25 is arranged above the upper part 8 and its force is transmitted to the clamping device 33 via a traction element 26 , for example a wire cable guided via deflection pulleys 27 . The tension drive 25 allows to maintain a predetermined stress within the membrane 9 . For this purpose, the tensioning drive can be connected to the control device of the installation.

In FIG. 3 the lamination station is closed, that is to say the upper part 8 is lowered by means of the lifting drive 12 as far as the annular lower edge 46 , the seal 34 , the film 9 , the segment 11 of the insulating film and the segment of the conveyor 6 7 is pressed tightly against the heating plate 5 or its edge at the same height. A closed cavity 35 is thus formed between the heating plate 5 and the film 9 , in which the element 4 to be laminated is located. This closed chamber 35 is now evacuated, so that the element 4 is degassed and the membrane 9 rests on the element 4 and the insulating film 10 rests loosely on the section 11 on the element 4 .

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of the fastening device 32 of the section 11 of the insulating film 10 on an enlarged scale compared to the previous figures. The section 11 of the release film 10 is provided with a ring 36 at the individual edge, which is formed, for example, by rolling over and welding, gluing or sewing. Said ring 36 is fixed in the longitudinal side opening of the C-shaped profile 37 by means of anchor rods 38 whose diameter is greater than the width of said opening. Advantageously the anchor rod is tubular.

FIG. 5 shows the clamping device of the membrane 9 again on an enlarged scale compared to the preceding FIGS. 2 and 3 . The membrane 9 is clamped between two clamping plates 39 and 40 , wherein the clamping plate 39 is connected to the traction element 26 in a manner not shown. Furthermore, in order to improve the fastening of the membrane 9 in the clamping device 33, the clamping plate 40 is formed with longitudinally extending grooves, in which the insert profiles 42 engage. The clamping plates 39 are likewise grooved in the region of the insertion profile, so that the membrane 9 is bent multiple times during clamping, thereby significantly increasing the frictional resistance against tearing. Screws 41 are used to clamp the clamping plates 39 and 40 together.

Figure 6 schematically shows a part of a lamination press according to the prior art. The membrane 9 is fixed, for this purpose it is fixed relative to the upper part 8 by means of the clamping frame 43 . Here, the clamping frame 43 is fastened to the upper flange with screws 45 passing through holes made in the membrane 9 . In order to seal the clamping frame 43 on the heating plate 5 or on its edge, a seal 44 arranged in the clamping frame 43 is required.

Table of reference signs

1 equipment 30 29 films

2nd Floor Combined Station 30 Entrance Side

3 cooling station 31 conveying direction

4 Fixtures for plate elements 3211

5 heating plate 33 clamping device

6 conveying device 35 34 seals

76 segments 35 chambers

82 upper part 36 rings

9 film 37C profile

10 isolation film 38 rods

1110 segment 40 39 plywood

128 lifting drive 40 splints

Cavity in 138 41 screw

148 partitions 42 embedded profiles

Hole in 1514 43 clamping frame

16 Chambers 45 44 Seals

1710 steering roller 45 screws

186 steering roller 46 edge face

1910's Free End

20 brushes

21 cooling plate

2228 lift drive

236 Fixtures

24 springs

25 tensioning drive

26 traction parts

27 steering wheel

Upper part of 283

Claims (10)

1. A device (1) for manufacturing plate-like elements (4) from composite material, comprising: a heating plate (5), for conveying said elements along a transport path guided above the heating plate (5) (4) conveying device (6), the upper part (8) that can move vertically to heating plate (5), be located at the film (9) on the upper part (8) and be located at described film (9) and heating plate ( 5) The isolation film (10) that can move synchronously with the conveying device (6), is characterized in that the isolation film (10) is divided into some segments (11); each segment (11) is only in a single transverse direction The oriented edges of the transport lane are fixed by fixing means (32); the segments (11) are not connected to each other; and the fixing means (32) can be moved along the transport lane by drive means. 2. The device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the drive has an endless traction element, in particular a chain. 3. According to the described equipment of one of the preceding claims, it is characterized in that each subsection (11) is guided in a loop through a diversion device (17), in which the subsection (11) is substantially In the region of the upper vertical downward guide, the guide means designed as a brush (20) is provided with bristles oriented towards at least one of the two surfaces of the segment (11). 4. According to the described equipment of one of the preceding claims, it is characterized in that the fixing device (32) has a C-shaped profile (37), and a closed ring (36) of the subsection (11) stretches into its longitudinal side Inside the opening, an anchor rod (38) with a diameter greater than the width of the opening is inserted in this closed loop. 5. A device (1) for producing plate-shaped elements (4) from composite material, comprising: a heating plate (5), for conveying said elements along a transport path guided above the heating plate (5) (4) conveying device (6), the upper part (8) that can move vertically to heating plate (5), be located at the film (9) on the upper part (8) and be located at described film (9) and heating plate ( 5) An insulating film (10) that can move synchronously with the conveying device (6), characterized in that the film (9) is attached to the surrounding surface of the upper part (8) facing the heating plate (5) On the edge face (46); said film can be placed on the heating plate (5) surface or its edge tightly against the external overpressure with its surface area facing said edge face; and, said film (9) It is connected with the tensioning device (25, 26, 27) provided on the upper part (8). 6. The device as claimed in one of claims 5 to 6, characterized in that the tensioning device (25, 26, 27) is connected to the membrane by means of a clamping device (33). 7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that each clamping device (33) consists of two clamping plates (39, 40) that can be clamped to each other by screws (41), the clamping plates have longitudinally arranged grooves and the membrane is clamped between them, wherein a profile deflecting the membrane is embedded in at least one groove. 8. Device according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the tensioning device comprises at least one force-generating device (25). 9. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the force-generating device is a piston-cylinder unit (25). 10. The device as claimed in one of claims 8 to 9, characterized in that the force-generating device (25) is connected to the membrane (9) via traction elements (26).

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